quai

noun

Synonyms of quainext
: quay

Examples of quai in a Sentence

the tour boat pulled up to the quai on the left bank of the Seine
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Rick Warner, the director of film studies at the University of North Carolina, deliberately selects films with slow pacing and subtle details, such as Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, a three-hour movie that mostly follows a woman doing chores in her apartment. Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026 On a recent breezy day, Jérôme Callais wrapped a secondhand biography of Robespierre tightly in cellophane, covering the burgundy leather hardcover with an expert flick of the wrist and positioning it near a weighty tome on Talleyrand inside his dark green bookstand on a quai above the Seine. Liz Alderman, New York Times, 7 Nov. 2020 Farther up the quai was a former monastery courtyard, overgrown but graceful. Bill Buford, The New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2020

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, going back to Middle French kay — more at quay

First Known Use

1862, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of quai was in 1862

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Quai.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quai. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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